Recently my wife was hired at a day care in town. She realizes that she must toe the line. Any mistake she makes–any instance of tardiness, talking out of turn, or of angering a co-worker–can mean curtains before she even gets off the ground. They could fire her without a single warning during this time, because she was hired with the understanding that she is on probation.
Indeed, the first month or two in a new job can be stressful. The higher ups are looking at you to see if you are a good fit for their organization. They are watching to see how you are relating to customers (In Mrs. K’s case, those would be the parents of the youngsters the institution serves), to your coworkers, and, of course, to management. They are checking your performance, your competency, and your work attitude to see if their continued association with you will be an asset to the company, or a potential, constant, long-term liability. They are watching you, and believe me, they are taking notes. You must watch everything you do, and everything you say. This can be a nervewracking time for you, since you know that as of 2011, hiring remains weak. A job loss for any reason, in fact, can be devastating. What do you do?
Read Your Handbook
As a new employee, the first thing to do is to study the handbook they give you. (Sidebar: If they don’t give you one, ask for one.) Your superiors will expect you to understand all the policies governing your behavior and performance in the workplace. Lots of the questions you would ask your superiors are answered in the handbook. Make sure you read it slowly and with caution. If you ask a higher-up something that is well-covered in the employee handbook, you could be gaining demerit points with management before you hardly even have your foot in the door!
Observe
Use your senses of sight and hearing to discern cultural do’s and don’ts in the workplace–the unwritten rules of engagement that no one will talk about, but are there. For instance, listen to how others address management. For example, if your immediate supervisor’s name is Jean Smith, listen for cues from co workers, and fall in line immediately–whether the correct form of address is Jean, or Ms. Smith. Also, watch how people dress. Prepare to fit in. Overdress your first day on the job, then transition to less formal apparel if that is how you see the others dressing. Too formal may be a concern because it may make the particular clientele your company serves uncomfortable. If your attire is too informal, the higher-ups may deem you to be less than professional.
Don’t Let’ Em See You Sweat
Appear relaxed. Strive to offer them your very best performance possible. Try not to dwell on the stress aspect. Just do what you know to do. Pretend the bosses are not even there. They can see the signs of being “stressed out” in your demeanor that you may think you are hiding. Besides, when you are preoccupied with thoughts that you could get fired in an instance over the least little thing–however true that may be–it could cause you to make grave mistakes on your job you otherwise wouldn’t make, which, in turn, could lead to your being canned. You could actually end up being fired for one key reason: Based on their observations of you at work, they cannot trust that you will not overlook a detail, because you are more focused on pleasing management that you begin to overcompensate.
This happened to me in the fall of 1985. On Wednesday, Sept. 25, I was hired in as a library reference assistant. During that first trial week, I was observed on a number of occasions in action, checking books in and out. Computers were difficult to learn back then. The bosses detected a certain nervousness about me. As a result of that, I made many mistakes. Thus on Monday, Oct. 7, I received word that I was being transferred downstairs, because they perceived that the job simply wasn’t a good fit.
Don’t Talk Too Much
Your probationary period at work is a time of learning. Feel free to ask questions, but do not impose your opinions on management or coworkers about how the job should best be done. This even holds true if you feel you may be more experienced than your co-workers. For even if your last job was quite similar, remember that each company has its own rules, its own culture, and its own way of doing things. Your job is to learn the culture of your new company, and to refrain from comments about your old job. You could offend your co-workers, as well as your superiors, if they perceive that you are trying to undermine their professional experience in any way. Indeed, during this period management is watching how you interact with others, whether they are management or co-workers. If the powers that be feel that you don’t blend in too well with the people with whom you work, they will discharge you to be rid of the drama you are bringing to the workplace.
Always Be Punctual
It pays to never be tardy for work. However, this is especially true during your trial period. During this period, one instance of tardiness could end your working relationship with that company. Make a special effort to be on time. If you are faced with an inclement weather forecast for the next day, leave your house extra early, whether you are traveling by bike, by car, or are utilizing public transportation. If you are doing the latter, then please leave on an earlier bus if you know the weather for that morning will be problematic. If you know your car’s likely to break down, then choose another form of transit until you can make enough money for repairs.
Take Initiative
Don’t wait for a superior to ask you to do something. Look for things to be done around the office, and do them–as long as it there is no designated person who completes that task. If you see a garbage bag that needs walking out to the dumpster, then by all means do it! This shows you are a team player. Don’t join the chorus of people complaining about doing such “menial” tasks, because, after all, it’s the janitor’s job. You don’t want your superiors–or co-workers–to think of you as petulant as a five-or-six-year-old.
Along the same lines, never stand around waiting for someone to instruct you on what to do next. Always keep busy; otherwise, you are stealing time from your employer. They are paying you to work for a certain eight-hour period or more. Therefore, you must work all of the time indicated by the punches on your time card, or the information on your time sheet. Take breaks only at designated periods, and return on time.
The “Conclusion of the Matter”
These are normal, common sense tips for anyone, regardless of the length of time they’ve been working at a given place. However, the significance of these rules increases twentyfold when you are a new employee. For during the probationary period, you are a trial hire. At the end of the probationary period, you will be evaluated by senior management to see if your continued association with that company is beneficial for the organization as a whole.